John Lengend

Barnes & Noble made a business-savvy move when it began publishing those cheap, bland-looking editions of public domain classics and piling them high on prominent tables in 2003. No, no, they weren't trying to steal sales from other publishers––rather, the line "celebrates the genius of the human heart."

Borders announced its retaliation in this slo-mo battle of the titans this week: the publication of The Hammer, a collection of Sports Illustrated columns celebrating the life and times of Barry-Bonds-threatened grand slammer Hank Aaron. The Hammer is the second in the chain's plan to publish exclusive, proprietary books. Last month, the program's first book, screenwriter Nick Santora's Slip and Fall, became a Wall Street Journal bestseller despite being sold exclusively through Borders-owned outlets. And neo-soul fans rejoice: among upcoming titles is a John Legend tour book.

All this is a bit of Starbucks-inspired genius, of course, exempting Borders from distribution complexities and co-op space gouging and giving them the Oprahesque ability to select titles that automatically get gargantuan marketing support. Somewhere, Barnes & Noble lies in wait, plotting its entrance into the corporate tastemaking arena, and the fate of readers across the nation hangs in the balance.